Wild Hunt - Kali Argent Page 0,52
sighed. “At first, they drugged me to keep me docile. Once they realized that made it too easy to follow me through the woods, they started using a tracking chip and a shock collar to keep me from running.” Glancing over at him, she smirked, but the expression held no trace of humor. “Bullets are a pretty effective deterrent well.”
“But you survived.”
He could offer platitudes and apologize for something he hadn’t done and couldn’t change, but it wouldn’t mean anything. He couldn’t erase the things that had happened to her, but he could make damn sure that she never had to endure anything like that again.
“I did, didn’t I?” A little of the confidence she’d regained filtered back into her voice. “They tried to break me, but they didn’t succeed. I’m still here. I’m still fighting.”
Every survivor had a story, some terrible tragedy they had fought through to become the people they were now. He didn’t think he’d met anyone who had overcome as much as his mate.
“Hell yeah, you are.” She was beyond amazing, and he was so damn proud of her. “They’re going to pay, Mack. I promise you.”
She grinned, a genuine smile this time. “Hell yeah, they are.”
Three electronic beeps sounded from her watch, interrupting the moment. “Oh, you need to take your antibiotic.”
“You set an alarm?”
“What? I wanted to make sure we remembered while we were on the road.”
Christ, she was adorable. “Okay, where are they?”
“You have to take them with food.”
Cade rolled his eyes. “It’ll be fine. Where are they?”
“No, the doctor said to take them with food.”
“Okay.” He couldn’t help but laugh. Did she really think he was that fragile? “I’ll just take it when we get back to the hospital.”
“We’re at least an hour away.”
“And?”
“You’re supposed to take two pills every day at the same times.”
Yep, she definitely thought he was that fragile. “Baby, I really don’t think another hour or two is going to make a difference.”
“The doctor said—”
“Yeah, okay, I get it.” Her obsessiveness should have annoyed him, but he knew it came from a place of love and concern. “There’s a town just up here. We can stop and see if they have a convenience store or something.”
“You really should eat something nutritious.”
“Or a diner,” he amended, turning his head toward the window to hide his smile.
They’d both agreed the world was too messed up to bring kids into, which was a damn shame because she would have made an excellent mother.
As it turned out, the little mountain town had exactly one diner, which offered only breakfast and lunch, and closed every weekday at four o’clock. When they’d arrived at a quarter to the hour, he’d thought Mackenna was going to have a nuclear meltdown.
The owners of the diner—an elderly werewolf couple with silver hair and matching red shirts—hadn’t turned them away. Once Mackenna had explained the situation, complete with the lie about non-existent Raiders, they’d seemed just as worried as she had been that Cade take his medication on schedule following a well-balanced meal.
They’d been kind to him, treating him like a member of their own family rather than an animal they simply tolerated. So, he hadn’t complained. He’d eaten everything on his plate, even the green beans, then taken his antibiotic while everyone watched. It was weird, but his mate seemed happy, and putting that smile on her face hadn’t cost him a damn thing.
While the Revenant mostly traveled under the cover of darkness, Mackenna had a real aversion to driving after sundown. Given what had happened to her the last time she’d chanced it, he couldn’t blame her. So, after a lengthy goodbye to the owners—at least on Mackenna’s part—they’d gotten back on the road to complete the last leg of their drive.
Everything had been fine, right up until it wasn’t.
Ten miles away from the hospital, a Coalition cruiser pulled onto the highway behind them, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Mackenna eased up on the accelerator and looked over at him, clearly seeking advice. Cade thought it through quickly and nodded. Compliance really was their only option.
Slowing, Mackenna eased onto the shoulder of the highway. She even used her blinker when she did so, but she looked nervous, something the guard would surely notice. Even if he couldn’t see it in her eyes, he’d be able to smell it in her scent.
“Relax, baby.” He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “We haven’t done anything wrong, right? We’re driving back home to Denver after a weekend in